


The Hidden Child

by Extralargelightsaber_hunkykylux



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Rape/Non-con Elements, Torture
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-16
Updated: 2018-04-16
Packaged: 2019-04-23 16:07:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,043
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14336142
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Extralargelightsaber_hunkykylux/pseuds/Extralargelightsaber_hunkykylux
Summary: In 1981, Lucius Malfoy strikes a bargain with Bellatrix Lestrange that she can't refuse. Eleven years later, shenanigans between a socially inept Nalani Selwynn and a pompous arse™ Draco Malfoy ensue.The original adventures told from a different perspective, an unbidden journey of turmoil, loss, redemption, and perhaps a little love in between.





	1. Chapter 1

**June, 1980**

**BELLATRIX'S** cackle filled the cavernous halls of Malfoy Manor, waking a year old baby Draco.

LuciusMalfoy, with purposeful strides clacking against the marble floors, barged open the doors to the drawing room where Bellatrix and his wife were idyllically chatting over a hot cup of tea. "Narcissa dear, Draco's crying. Please deal with him."

Narcissa gave a nonchalant wave of her hand, "Oh, let the house elves deal with it-"

" _Now_!" Lucius snapped. Narcissa's eyes widen and rushed to the nursery with renewed vigor, leaving her husband and sister alone.

Bellatrix let out a shrill, amused laugh, "Now, dear brother, what do you want from me that you need to shoo my sister away?"

A grave silence seemed to blanket the entire room. "The child," Lucius paused, sensing a severe drop in Bellatrix's mood, "she will be in the same year as Draco."

"And?" Bellatrix asked, her patience quickly wearing thin.

"I want you to train her as soon as she can walk."

Bellatrix bared her teeth, wand gripped tightly in hand, "Who are you to tell me what to do? The child is under my care. _Mine_!" She drew her wand against Lucius' throat, "I can do whatever I please with her."

"I want you to train her to protect Draco. That Potter child will also be in the same year. Merlin knows if he turns out like his father. Draco could be targeted."

"Then train Draco yourself."

"Narcissa won't - doesn't allow it. Draco is to have a normal childhood, and to only learn magic at Hogwarts. I doubt that when the times comes that the Dark Lord will ask for his services, he'll be able to do anything," he choked out as the tip of Bellatrix's wand pressed harder against his neck.

"So you want me to train the child as a backup, should your own son become a colossal disappointment like his father?" Bellatrix mocked, knowing that he wouldn't dare try anything now. He needed her. "What do I get out of this?" she contemplated, pulling her wand away and mindlessly twirling it between her fingers.

"She can be an asset to the Dark Lord. He asked you to let her live for a reason. Wouldn't you want to get back his favour?"

Bellatrix examined her nails with faux disinterest, "I can easily get his favour back. I don't need the girl."

"You shall have free reign of the dungeon," Lucius bargained, "and... I will help you acquire the sword of Gryffindor." At that, Bellatrix's eyes glinted with conviction.

Bellatrix tapped her chin, "I get to stay here."

Lucius' facial muscles made a futile attempt not to twitch. " _Very well_ ," Lucius acquiesced, "But Draco is not to know of her existence until they start Hogwarts. That means Draco must never see her or hear her until then. He is not to know of her relation to our deal."

"Swear it," Bellatrix grabbed Lucius's hand and raised her wand. She waved it, casting the unbreakable vow. A thin stream of fire manifested and coiled its way around their interlocked hands. " _Swear it_!" she hissed.

"I vow to let you have free reign of the dungeon and stay in the Malfoy manor, and to help you get the sword of Gryffindor." With each vow, new streams of fire emerged from Bellatrix's wand.

"I swear to train the girl to protect Draco and keep our arrangement a secret." As Bellatrix uttered her last vow, the streams glowed brightly like red hot wire, twisting to form a chain. It wound tightly around their joined hands, branding their skin forever with the vow. They pulled away, the sleeves of their robes falling to cover the mark just in time as Narcissa comes back tenderly cradling a now sleeping Draco.

Bellatrix wasted no time boasting. "Hey, Cissy! Guess what?" Narcissa looked at her, slightly miffed. "I'm staying with you from now on!" Bellatrix announced gleefully.

Narcissa plastered a winning smile as she glanced at the oblivious infant in her arms, silently worrying about his childhood around Bellatrix and what the future has in store for him.


	2. Chapter 2

**November, 1981**

**THE** air was raw and crisp with the first vestiges of winter, and the Malfoy Manor was wrought with a cold November morning that seemed to penetrate its icy hands through its walls and floors, making its home in the dark crevices of the palatial estate.

Inside a small crib in a small dark room, laid an equally small infant, gurgling and giggling loudly. Her eyes twinkled with innocent wonder as she extended small, grubby hands towards the long black hair of the woman looming over her. The baby yanked on the frizzy curls and the woman growled. Frightened by the sudden noise, the baby started to wail.

The woman stood up, illuminated by a sliver of light, exposing the visage of Bellatrix Lestrange with an obvious scowl on her face. She roughly picked up the baby and slapped her face, "What do you want, now? Stop crying, you insolent child!" The baby cried even louder, unable to understand anything but the pain in her cheek and the sting of Bellatrix's nails digging into her skin. She carelessly dumped the baby on the nearby bed and took out her wand. "You want to cry? I'll give you something to cry about!" Bellatrix growled out, "Crucio!"

The small room was filled with a red light. The baby's wails got louder, echoing throughout the unused left wing of the Malfoy Manor.

As Bellatrix continued torturing the poor baby, her mark started burning. Ignoring the pain, she pushed through until Lucius charged into the room, slamming the door and knocking her wand out of her hand.

"We need her alive, not brain dead! You've seen what it can do to grown men, what more a baby!" Lucius shouted, "You nearly broke the vow!"

Bellatrix snapped, "Send me a house elf to take care of this _cretin_."

She left, slamming the door as Lucius carried the now sleeping baby, tear tracks visible on her tiny red cheeks, and placed her in the crib. He called a house elf, "Send Dobby over to take care of this child."

Unfortunately for the child, it wasn't her last time facing the wrath of Bellatrix.

When she was three, Bellatrix stole a wand for her to use. Training had begun and Bellatrix was ruthless. She flung spell after spell, not giving her time to recuperate, nor arming her with any defensive spells beforehand to protect herself. She was forced to dodge or endure the spells, which often left her writhing in pain and out of breath. But the girl quickly picked up the idea and imitated Bellatrix. She perfectly imitated Bellatrix's wand movements and said the words verbatim, " _Crucio_!" She felt all her rage, frustration, and pain manifest into that one spell.

Bellatrix casted a protego spell a second too late. She crumpled to the ground, letting out a shrill scream. The girl, in shock that it worked, dropped her wand. Bellatrix got up with a crazed smile, "Not as pathetic as I thought." The girl beamed at the only praise she had gotten her whole life. Afterwards, Bellatrix had grabbed a basic defensive spell book and tossed it at the girl. "Read it. I'll test you tomorrow."

"Yes, ma'am," the girl ran back to her room through the house elves' tunnels. Since then, she has been reading the book religiously and carefully practicing the spells, following the wand diagrams.

By the time she was four, she had mastered almost all of the defensive spells and was able to block every spell Bellatrix threw at her. One day when Bellatrix called her to the dungeon, she was presented with three cages, each of which held a rat.

"Come now, child! Quicker! Today we're going to be learning about curses. Unforgivable curses. Don't ever use it in public unless I am around." she pulled the child closer, "These spells will only work if you really want it to. There are three. The first is the killing curse." She suddenly stood up straight pointing her wand at the first rat, shouting, " _Avada Kedavra_!" A bright green bolt shot out of her wand, striking the rat. The rat fell as if it was frozen, dead.

"The second is the cruciatus curse. I've used this many times on you, and so have you." She pointed her wand at the rat. " _Crucio_." At the last minute, Bellatrix twisted and pointed it at the girl. The girl's screams echoed throughout the dungeon. "Never let your guard down, girly!" Bellatrix hissed. She lifted her wand, ending the torture.

The girl lay panting, glaring at Bellatrix. "Yes, ma'am," she let out between gritted teeth.

"Now last one: the Imperius curse, which allows you to bend any living thing to your whim. For example," she turned towards the girl " _Imperio_."

Bellatrix flicked her wand up, forcing the girl to stand up despite her body's protests. "Accio, knife." Bellatrix's curved dagger flew into her hand. She carefully placed it on the lone table in the dungeon. Bellatrix turned to look at the girl, silently commanding her to grab the knife. "Good girl. Now lift your shirt and hold the dagger above your heart."

The girl's mind was reeling. _This is how I die_ , she thought but she still tried fighting against the spell. She tried and failed to regain control of her limbs, or at least her right arm, as the knife edged closer and closer to her skin. With panic-induced adrenaline pumping through her veins and the tip starting to pierce her skin, she fought as hard as she could.

Then she heard a _pop_ in her mind, and it felt like reaching surface after being underwater for a long time. She had finally regained control of her arm, but as she yanked her hand away, the knife left a deep cut on her chest. Bellatrix released her from the curse. "Took you long enough. Next time I won't be as kind." Bellatrix rang a bell, summoning Dobby to take the girl back to her room and deal with the wound.

When Bellatrix left, the girl crumpled to the ground, sobbing hysterically, waiting for dobby to come. The little house elf came, his big blue eyes softening at the sight of the little girl. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, comforting her as much as he could. Shocked by the amount of blood seeping through her clothes, he apparated them into her room.

He quickly called Daisy over to help. Dobby carried her to her bed and became worried as he felt her go limp in his arms, most likely passing out from blood loss. He cut open her shirt and used a cotton napkin to absorb the blood and put pressure on the wound. Daisy apparated into the room carrying some thread and needle, blood-replenishing potion, and some cotton gauze. Dobby gave her space as Daisy started stitching. He dropped a few drops of the blood replenishing potion into the girl's mouth. Once Daisy was done stitching the wound close, she covered it up the gauze. Daisy and Dobby waited for her to wake up, occasionally changing the gauze.

When she came to, she felt a throbbing in the chest and saw Daisy and Dobby. Remembering what happened, she burst into violent sobs. "Mother wanted me to kill myself!" She curled into a ball, pressing her face against her knees. Dobby pats her head while Daisy rubbed her back, trying to calm the girl down. Once she calmed down Dobby suggested a bath, shooing Daisy away.

Dobby helped the girl strip out of her clothes. He held her as she shakily stepped into the tub. Dobby carefully bathed her making sure to not wet the wound. "Does she hate me?" The girl suddenly asks.

Not wanting to break her heart and knowing the truth would break her, Dobby lied," No, Dobby is sure that mistress loves you miss. In mistress's own way."

"B-but..."

"Dobby thinks the mistress was just trying to teach miss."

The girl sunk down into the tub. "Hey, dobby?"

"Yes, miss?"

"Can you help me get some advanced spellbooks?"

"About what miss?"

"Anything, but defensive and combat spells would be good, too. Please, dobby?" He helped her out of the tub and with a snap of his fingers, she was dried and her clothes floated into the bathroom.

"Right away, miss." Dobby apparated away, leaving her to dress herself.

She winced as she lifted her arms and bent down to put down her clothes. She moved to her old and rickety cot, the springs groaning in protest as she got on.

Dobby apparated back as she got comfortable. He carried four thick books in his arms. He set the books down on old bedside table, it creaked under the weight. The girl picked up the first and thinnest book: _'A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration'_.

"Transfiguration?"

"I thought miss might like it."

She opened the book, reading out loud, "Transfiguration is a branch of magic that focuses on the alteration of the form or appearance of an object, via the alteration of the objects molecular structure." She flipped through the book reading the first spell.

_'Bird-conjuring charm.'_

"Dobby how do you pronounce this?" She pointed at the incantation.

"Dobby thinks that it's pronounced _ah-viss_." She repeated after him, her wand making a series of crests and troughs.

A small yellow bird suddenly flew out of her wand, frantically flapping its wings around the small room. The bird knocked things over, Dobby catching them as they fell. The girl opened the window as small as a cup, barely big enough to fit the bird. She shoved the bird, pushing it out of the room through the window. She plopped down on the bed, swiping away yellow feathers. She flipped to the back of the book where the more advanced spells are.

_'Crinus muto changes the hair of the caster.'_

"Crinus Mu- moo- Dobby?"

"Myoo-toh."

" _Crinus Myoo-toh_." She said emphasizing each syllable. A bright white light appeared from her wand as she imagined herself with hair as long as Rapunzel - a muggle fairy tale book Dobby found for her. Feeling her hair get heavier, she twirled. She saw her hair growing, already touching the floor, but it kept growing and growing until the floor of her tiny room was covered with her hair.

As she stood up, she was suddenly yanked backwards and fell onto her bed. She pulled on her hair finding it tangled between the legs of the chair.

In the midst of untangling her hair, she dropped her wand in the sea of hair.

"Dobby! I dropped my wand!"

Dobby sat on the bed, thinking. He suddenly apparated away and came back with a pair of scissors. Dobby cut her hair off the chair legs and started burning the remaining hair.

"Dobby!" She let out a panicked squeak as she felt her hair starting to grow again at a faster rate. She tried to wandlessly reverse the spell but nothing happened. "I need my wand."

Dobby hurriedly burned through the mountain of hair trying to find the wand, only to realize that the empty spot would quickly be filled again. The girl let out a frustrated groan. She suddenly snapped her fingers. "Dobby, make my hair float. Maybe my wand will fall out." Dobby strained to carry the ton of hair and shook it.

A small crooked piece of wood clattered to the floor and the girl lunged for it before Dobby dropped the hair. " _Crinus Muto_!" She shouted, this time thinking of her choppy, shoulder length hair she occasionally saw in the broken mirror of her closet.

The girl and Dobby let out a sigh of relief as her head felt lighter. She took the transfiguration book and put it under her bed, vowing to never touch it until she could better control her magic.

They laid down tiredly, and the girl started laughing hysterically. Dobby soon joined in until he heard a deep bellow calling his name. His eyes widened the size of the moon. "Sorry, miss. Master Malfoy is calling." He apparated away, leaving the girl alone in her small room which now felt too big and too empty. Her smiled dropped as chills ran down her spine. Crawling off the bed, she hid in the closet, finding some sort of security and comfort. She curled up into a ball and sobbed, her loneliness getting the best of her.

Finally she fell asleep curled up with the rags in the closet, waiting for her mother to bang on her door, scream at her to wake up, and command her to the dungeon, just like any other day, in every other week, for the past four years of her life, holding on to the sliver of hope that one day, things will change for the better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to comment any criticism. If anyone is interested in becoming a beta reader, just hit me up.
> 
> This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Harry Potter world, which is trademarked by J. K. Rowling. Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Draco Malfoy, Bellatrix and etc. are characters created and owned by J.K. Rowling, and I do not claim any ownership over them or the world of Harry Potter. If anything is familiar it's probably not mine. The story I tell here about Draco, Bellatrix, Nalani (Original character) and etc. is my own invention, and it is not purported or believed to be part of J.K. Rowling's story canon. This story is for entertainment only and is not part of the official story line. I am grateful to Ms. Rowling for her wonderful stories about Hogwarts, for without her books, my story would not exist.
> 
> Even though this is a fanfiction, my fanfiction, please do not copy my storyline. If you want to write a story based on Nalani and my storyline please give credit.
> 
> This story involves a lot of back story on Nalani so please stay with it for a while. We'll get to the juicy parts soon.


	3. Chapter 3

To say the least, Bellatrix was cruel with the girl’s training.

 

Day by day, Bellatrix would put the girl under the imperius curse, force her to take the dagger, and cut herself until she can break free from the curse. And day by day, the girl would break free from the curse faster, leaving less cuts for Dobby to tend to and fret about.

 

Then Bellatrix would ask her to practice the three unforgivable curses on the rats. It was tough in the beginning. Their deafening squeaks of pain would echo throughout the dungeon and follow her to her dreams. She would always wake up in cold sweat, guilt eating her up and dreading the next training. Slowly, though, she became desensitized to their pain, focusing only on evading the punishment should she not comply with Bellatrix’s demands.

 

Suffice to say, It only took her a few months to master the killing and cruciatus curse.

 

Bellatrix would make her practice the imperius curse by making the rats flip, jump, move, walk on a tightrope, fetch something, slam themselves into a wall, or even eat themselves. Only after the girl has completed all the tasks properly and to Bellatrix’s standards will she let Dobby see to the girl’s wounds. After a few more months, the girl has mastered using the cruciatus curse verbally and silently. However, her training to overcome the cruciatus still remains. Her body became a map work of scars.

 

By the end of the first month, there was no inch of skin that she could reach that was left unmarked.

 

                             __________

 

While the girl was busy training that day, Daisy and Dobby were busy baking a cake. They did not know her actual birth date but believed that the girl should at least have a party representing her birthday. They chose to use the day she came to Malfoy manor, which all the other elves unanimously agreed.

 

Dobby nervously waited for Bellatrix to summon him to bring the girl back. He dashed into the dungeon as soon as he heard the first ring of the bell, impatiently taking the exhausted girl to her room. He knocked on ther door before entering, a warning for the other house elves to hide. He pushed the door open, helped the girl onto the bed to fix her wounds. He discreetly knocked on the bedside table twice.

 

All at once, a dozen of house elves jumped out of their hiding places, from cupboards and shelves and under tables, startling the girl as she instinctually cased a protego charm. Seeing Daisy with a cake in her hands however, she lowered her wand. On the cake, in sloppy cursive with red icing, was written ‘Happy birthday, Miss!’ with a small heart under it and five little candles on top.

 

She dropped her defenses and stared wide eyed at the house elves as they sang Happy Birthday. Her heart clenched at the heart warming sight and soon tears filled her eyes as she sat on the bed in stunned silence. She flung her arms out, pulling dobby closer and hugged him tightly. “Thank you,” she whispered. 

 

“This is the least you deserve, Miss,” Dobby replies with a grin. She blew out the candles with the widest smile she had ever worn.

 

After she thanked each house elf personally, Daisy cut the cake and passed it to the girl. The cake was covered in white cream but has a brown interior that reminded her of the dirt that sometimes covered Dobby. Not wanting to seem rude, she pushed her uneasiness away and took a bite of the cake. A deep rich taste that was sweet and bitter overwhelmed her mouth. Her eyes turned wide. The moist and spongy cake rested on her tongue as she savoured the taste. She slowly chewed it, feeling the cake turn creamy, and let out a tiny moan. Swallowing the piece, she gobbled the rest of the cake down. “What is this?” She inquired, fascinatedly inspecting the brown substance skewered on her fork.

 

“Chocolate cake!” Daisy exclaimed excitedly between mouthfuls of cake. “I love it!” the girl let out another moan of appreciation. She was starting to cut another piece for herself before she paused, looking at all the house elves around her. She summoned some plates from the kitchen deciding to share with the house elves. She cut even slices and passed them around. They denied taking it until she insisted them to. As she laid there eating the cake, she knew no other day would be better.

 

                             __________

 

The girl stood stubbornly in front of Bellatrix, her wand raised defensively.

 

“I’ll strike a deal with you.”

 

The girl almost lowered her wand until Bellatrix launched a spell at her. She quickly reacted casting a shield. 

 

“If you managed to disarm me, I will let you play in the garden.”

 

The mention of the garden caused a glint of excitement to glimmer in the girl’s eyes, and she almost didn’t block the next curse in time. She pushed out her tiredness, gripped her wand tighter, and adopted a new stance, en garde and alert.

 

She fought with renewed vigor, matching Bellatrix spell by spell, and sparring soon turned into combat as spells sailed across the dungeon with lightning speed.

 

As prodigious as a child can be though, Bellatrix was superior in both experience and expertise and was slowly backing the girl into a corner. Finally, she decided to try a spell she used before to distract Bellatrix and shouted.

 

“Avis!”

 

A flock of ravens flew out of her wand, compared to the measly canary she conjured before, towards Bellatrix. Bellatrix merely growled in anger as the birds crowded her, cursing each and every one of them, but she was slowly stepping backwards. Bellatrix cackled manically, “You think these little birds can do anything to me, child?”

 

The girl ordered the rocks in the dungeon to shift behind Bellatrix’s feet, causing her to trip and fall. “They’re not meant to. Expelliarmus,” she shot back, and Bellatrix’s wand flew out of her hand.

 

The girl stepped on Bellatrix’s wrist keeping her from moving. In the blink of an eye, Bellatrix swung with her other hand, holding her signature dagger. The girl jumped back, still getting nicked slightly on her ankle. “That’s not fair. I disarmed you!” the girl whined.

 

“Life’s not fair,” Bellatrix spat back, “I still have my dagger, girly.” She twirled the dagger, taunting, “You didn’t disarm me completely.” 

 

When bellatrix lunged for her, the girl reflexively shouted, “Petrificus Totalus!” Bellatrix fell stiff on the ground. The girl kicked the knife out of her hand and grabbed it along with her wand before reversing the spell. Bellatrix grit her teeth, snatching her wand and knife back. She stomped out of the dungeon.

 

“What are you waiting for? Move it!”

 

The girl rushed after her, bellatrix grudgingly taking her to Narcissa’s garden.

 

                             __________

 

The walk to the garden was tense, filling the girl with the need to talk.

 

“Mother?”

 

Bellatrix furiously turned around and put her wand against the girl’s throat, slamming the girl into the wall. “I am not your mother and you will never call me that again. Do I make myself clear?” She threatened with a shrill voice, pressing her wand harder against the girl’s wind pipe. The girl could feel her shoulder blades abrading against the wall. “Never,” Bellatrix hissed, “Now spit your question out.”

 

The girl knew how to keep her mouth shut, and she had learned that curiosity is something to be quelled and repressed around Bellatrix, but this was a question that she could no longer sweep under the proverbial rug.

 

“Why do I not have a name?”

 

Her question was met with derision as Bellatrix laughed hysterically, tears leaking out the corner of her eyes. She gripped the girl’s chin with her pointy sharp nails.

 

“Because, my pathetic little child, you. Don't. Deserve. One.” Bellatrix sneered, emphasizing each word. And with each word, the girl’s heart sank as she sagged against bellatrix’s grip. “Now come along,” Bellatrix continued, leading the way. 

 

The girl winced and slowly followed, dragging her feet and stumbling across the grass as she struggled not to cry in front of Bellatrix. The silence of the walk merely intensified the words of her own mother, slowly drowning her excitement for the garden, until Bellatrix opened the door.

 

Her vision was overwhelmed by a sea of colour. From here she could see the bright purple of the morning stars that could only be vaguely seen from her bedroom door. The flowers stood proudly, a vibrant juxtaposition against the greenery of the garden. Stark violet lines on the petals lead to a white center, forming a star. She reached up to touch it. 

 

“Don’t,” Bellatrix snapped, “I’d rather not deal with Cissy if you ruin one of her stupid flower bushes.” 

 

The girl reluctantly put her hand down and laid on the damp grass. Her parchment white skin soaked in the sunlight. Bellatrix moved to the gazebo, ignoring the girl's presence. The girl relaxed, closing her eyes and finally feeling the warmth of the sun in her skin. She had hoped there would be clouds. The clear sky taunted her. She sighed, she had always wanted to go cloud-watching. She read about it an a book Dobby took for her, how the clouds could look like animals or geometric shapes. She rolled onto her stomach, starting to feel hot. She laid her head on her arms as she started to drift off, until she felt a slight tickle at her feet. 

 

Lifting her head, she turned seeing a small white rabbit. She flipped on her back carefully, not wanting to startle the rabbit. The rabbit started to hop away. 

 

The girl casted an invisibility spell and followed the rabbit around, exploring the garden at the same time. The adventure came to an end when the rabbit hid in its burrow. 

 

The girl crouched down, noticing a white, egg shaped stone. She picked it up, thinking of keeping it as a keepsake, until she felt it. It was leathery to the touch, unlike the hard cold texture of a stone. 

 

Still deciding to keep it to ask Dobby later, she removed the charm and laid back down on the warm grass, where she spent the rest of her evening until Bellatrix sent her away.

 

                             __________

 

Opening the door to her room, she saw Dobby waiting by her bed. He rushed to her as she closed the door, checking for any injuries.

 

“Hey Dobby?”

 

“Yes, miss?” He replied looking up from the cut on her calf.

 

“Do you know what this is?” She took the leathery egg out from her pocket.

 

“Looks like an egg, miss.”

 

“Yea, but what kind of egg?”

 

“I can get a book about animals if you want, miss?”

 

“That would be nice. Thanks, Dobby.”

 

When Dobby apparated back, he had in his hands a thick animal encyclopedia. He flipped the page to identifying eggs.

 

Following the flowchart, they found out that the egg was a snake egg. Read that snake eggs need to be incubated for 2-3 months under 27-29*C.

 

The girl set to work immediately. She transfigured a tank from a plate and fashioned an incubator out of a light bulb and pillow stuffing. She placed the egg on the stuffing and waited patiently.

 

Every night for the past month she made sure to hydrate the egg, like the book said. And every night she’d stay up as late as she could to watch if the egg would hatch.

 

Her patience paid off.

 

Early one morning as she changed the bulb, she noticed a small tear in the egg. She sat on the edge of her bed, face pressed up against the glass of the tank. A small forked tongue stuck out of the tear followed by a white snout. The egg slowly ripped open as the snake slithered out. Red rings covered its small body every few inches, bright blood red contrasting against alabaster white. Red beady eyes stared curiously at the girl pressing herself against the glass of the tank. The girl carefully put her hand in the tank. The snakes nudged her fingers and slowly coiled around it. The girl lifted her hand out and studied the snake intertwined around her fingers. Looking closer, she noticed yellow dots on the center of each ring.

 

The girl dragged out the animal encyclopedia and struggled to put it on the bed with one hand. The snake slithered off her fingers and moved up, choosing to coil around her wrist. Checking the book, she identified the snake as an albino coral snake.

 

“They eat lizards, frogs, and smaller snakes, including other coral snakes,” the girl read out loud. “One of the most venomous snakes in the world.” The girl looked incredulously at the tiny snake casually coiled around her wrist. 

 

After transfiguring a nail into a lizard, she placed the snake back in the tank and tossed the lizard in as well. The snake stalked the lizard before it lunged, striking like a lightning bolt with its fangs.

 

“Garnet,” she whispered, and the snake paused to bore an electrifying gaze into her with its intelligent, beady eyes, before returning its attention to its meal.

 

The girl smiled.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to comment any criticism. If anyone is interested in becoming a beta reader, just hit me up.
> 
> This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Harry Potter world, which is trademarked by J. K. Rowling. Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Draco Malfoy, Bellatrix and etc. are characters created and owned by J.K. Rowling, and I do not claim any ownership over them or the world of Harry Potter. If anything is familiar it's probably not mine. The story I tell here about Draco, Bellatrix, Nalani (Original character) and etc. is my own invention, and it is not purported or believed to be part of J.K. Rowling's story canon. This story is for entertainment only and is not part of the official story line. I am grateful to Ms. Rowling for her wonderful stories about Hogwarts, for without her books, my story would not exist.
> 
> Even though this is a fanfiction, my fanfiction, please do not copy my storyline. If you want to write a story based on Nalani and my storyline please give credit.
> 
> This story involves a lot of back story on Nalani so please stay with it for a while. We'll get to the juicy parts soon.

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to comment any criticism. If anyone is interested in becoming a beta reader, just hit me up.
> 
> This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Harry Potter world, which is trademarked by J. K. Rowling. Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Draco Malfoy, Bellatrix and etc. are characters created and owned by J.K. Rowling, and I do not claim any ownership over them or the world of Harry Potter. If anything is familiar it's probably not mine. The story I tell here about Draco, Bellatrix, Nalani (Original character) and etc. is my own invention, and it is not purported or believed to be part of J.K. Rowling's story canon. This story is for entertainment only and is not part of the official story line. I am grateful to Ms. Rowling for her wonderful stories about Hogwarts, for without her books, my story would not exist.
> 
> Even though this is a fanfiction, my fanfiction, please do not copy my storyline. If you want to write a story based on Nalani and my storyline please give credit.
> 
> This story involves a lot of back story on Nalani so please stay with it for a while. We'll get to the juicy parts soon.


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